[Development of narcotics consumption in adolescents 19 and 20 years old. A comparison in the canton of Zurich 1971, 1974 and 1978].

In 1971, 1974 and 1978 representative samples of 19/20-year-old males and females in the Canton of Zurich (Switzerland) answered identical questionnaires on consumption of alcohol, tobacco and drugs. It was thus possible to analyze changes in consumption habits for alcohol, tobacco and drugs by young adults. Consumption patterns changed differently for males and females, with a tendency for females to approach the same levels as males. The number of persons who had been drunk at least once nearly doubled; among men to 68% (as compared to 41% in 1971) and among females to 44% (21%). However, the number of heavy alcohol consumers did not change greatly. The number of cigarette smoking males decreased markedly to 42% (compared to 55%) and is now similar to that of females (43%/41%). The consumption of drugs did not change strikingly. The number of females consuming marijuana increased slightly from 13% to 17%, whereas that of males decreased slightly to 20% (23%). This can be explained by the lower proportion of males with only 1--10 marijuana experiences. The social context of drug consumption shows greater changes than the mere number of consumers: the age of the first drug experience is now considerably lower while differences in drug contact by region or by social strata show a tendency to disappear, with the sole exception of persons without occupational training who now show extremely high drug experiences. It is therefore assumed that drug consumption is no longer a means of self-experience but rather a form of evasive behavior.